Does anyone else think she looks a bit like JK Rowling here,
or is it just me? :-)
Last Tuesday, I had the pleasure of taking a little road trip upstate to visit the super-talented and always-delightful Jennifer Echols for the launch of her latest novel, SUCH A RUSH (review to come tomorrow!).
The event was held at a local Barnes and Noble, and I arrived a bit...early (read: over an hour, lol). But, as I'm sure you all know, it's never a bad thing to have free time in a bookstore. ;-)
I perused the shelves while I waited, enjoying the look and smell of just being inside a bookstore (yes, to those of us who love books more than people, this is Heaven). As I made my way to the front where a table had already been set up for the signing, I caught sight of Jennifer laying out her pens (she color-codes her autographs, people. Yeah, she's that cool.) and getting ready.
Being the natural extrovert that I am, I politely walked over and struck up a conversation I lurked in the stacks until I built up the nerve to go say hi. Though I have no clue why, because Jennifer Echols is the nicest person you'll ever meet.
She immediately stood from the table and gave me a hug, remembering me from a previous signing (or from Twitter, where I stalk follow her proudly), and we began talking about the event, books in general, the world of publishing and the like.
Yep, you read that correctly: I got to hang with Jennifer Echols--for over 2 hours!! Can I just say how awesome the night was? At one point in our multi-layered convo, I even told her that I was gonna leave now, for I felt I was keeping her from chatting with other fans who strolled up and had their favorite Echols books signed. But Jennifer, being the ever-gracious author she is, simply waved me off and said she was having a great time talking with me (yes, I may have smiled ear-to-ear at this). So, I hung around while she greeted other readers like myself, and after each person cleared the table, Jennifer would pick right back up with where our conversation left off. (author's note: I couldn't even remember everything we were talking about, lol)
As the night went on, several ladies came up to the table and began talking with Jennifer as if they knew her, and each time she would introduce me to the ladies of her Southern Magic writer's group. I was super-excited to get to meet them all, enjoying the camaraderie amongst the group of long-time friends. They made jokes and finished each other's sentences, and the whole time I just stood back and had a blast.
One of my very own critique partners, Jess Leake, also came to the signing (she was late, but I forgave her because she's just too darn cute not to) and we both enjoyed hanging with Jennifer Echols for the rest of the event. In fact, we were having so much fun, that we kept Jennifer there longer than she was scheduled (my deepest apologies, Jennifer!).
All in all, the SUCH A RUSH launch event was one of the best times ever, and I can't wait till I'm able to take another trip to "hang" with Jennifer Echols!
Oh how freaking awesome!!! I think I would have died if I got to "hang out" with Jennifer Echols, haha. I love you forever for getting a copy of Such a Rush signed for me. Until she makes her way to Texas, I'll just keep living through your meet-ups with her ;) haha So glad you had an awesome time!
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